Legendary guitar manufacturer Gibson has warned Guitar Hero developer Activision over an alleged patent infringement. It would seem that the crux of the matter is a 1999 patent by Gibson which deals with the technology used to simulate a musical performance. Gibson claims the Guitar Hero software and the Guitar Hero controller both violate the patent.

Of course, the bizarre thing is that Gibson had already signed a licensing agreement with Activision over replicating Gibson guitar designs for the Guitar Hero III game. If Activision does not obtain a new license under the terms of that patent then Gibson will look to halt sales of all Guitar Hero game editions according to the news report.